The next day, the day we were supposed to sign the subordination contract, Stale didn’t show up for breakfast. A knot of anxiety tightened in my stomach, but a bit later, at a time of my Father’s choosing, Stale finally appeared. Not only that, but I swore he looked…almost relaxed. He even greeted me with a “Good morning, Princess Pride” as he arrived.
Later, we had to sign the contract before Father and a few other witnesses. The language was dry and devoid of sentiment, but I still cringed as I watched Stale write his name so earnestly with shackled hands.
Father’s assistant stood at his side during the signing. He looked quite a bit younger than Father with his light blue hair tied back in a ponytail and spilling over one shoulder. Keen, slender blue eyes observed the proceedings.
It took me a moment to recall the man, but when I did, I nearly gasped. Of course he looked young. That was his power—the power of eternal youth. He could alter his age at will, though I suspected his current form represented his actual age. Father seemed rough around the edges by comparison, even though he wasn’t yet thirty. I’d heard the man was five years younger than my father, but I felt their gap was even wider.
Wait a minute. Neither one of them looks his age at all!
I was still reeling from that when the ceremony finished. I’d assumed it would be a lot more complicated; the minister called to the ceremony certainly made it seem that way. But in the end, all we had to do was sign the contract and that was it. No magical light pouring out. No booming ethereal voice. No physical change at all, aside from my heart hammering a bit harder and Stale pressing his hand over his chest. He must’ve felt the same way.
With that, Father removed Stale’s handcuffs using the key I’d stolen last night and replaced this morning. Stale clenched and unclenched his fists, finally free of that extra weight.
“Let’s be a happy family together from now on, my son,” Father said. He set his hands on Stale’s shoulders, and Stale offered a wavering smile and tiny nod.
In the game, if Tiara wound up with Stale he became the prince consort. That might not be a bad outcome for this kingdom. In ORL, Stale became a scheming, bitter man due to Pride’s abuse and manipulation, but perhaps we could avoid that here if I continued to show the boy some kindness.
“Princess Pride!”
Stale scampered up to me, full of energy. It was like that heartbroken boy I’d seen the night before never existed at all.
“I hope the two of us do well together. I promise to protect you, as well as our younger sister,” he said. He placed his hand on his chest like a knight and smiled as he spoke, while Father stood behind him with a relieved grin on his face.
Wait. A knight?! Something was bugging me about the resemblance, but I chose to focus on the boy before me instead.
“Thank you, Stale,” I replied. “But since we’re family now, you don’t have to call me ‘Princess.’ Can you call me ‘Pride’ instead? Mother’s assistant, my uncle, addresses her without any title.”
In the game, everyone called Pride “Her Majesty” or “Queen Pride,” but I didn’t want to be addressed like a stranger. However, Stale hesitated, some of his exuberance fading.
“Oh, but I… No, I don’t…” he stammered.
“Your Highness.” Father’s assistant stared down at Stale and me with a stern expression.
Whoa. He’s handsome, even from a lower angle. Wait. I think I saw this face in the game before… Or was that later in the series?
“Prince Vest, the seneschal, may refer to Her Majesty by her first name, but before commoners, he addresses her as ‘Your Majesty’ or ‘Elder Sister.’”
Prince Vest was my uncle—Mother’s younger brother-in-law. As Mother’s right-hand man, he possessed an equal amount of power as my father, the prince consort, making him a man of high authority in the kingdom.
I see. I’ve hardly ever seen Mother around commoners, so I didn’t know that.
“In that case, please call me ‘Elder Sister’ around others and ‘Pride’ when we’re alone,” I told Stale. “We’re family, after all, so that makes us equals.”
With that, I reached out to shake Stale’s hand. Father, his assistant, and all the witnesses gaped at the gesture. The witnesses, who’d known me for a long time, all cried out in shock. “Is that really Her Highness?!”
“Okay, Elder Sister,” Stale said, accepting my handshake.
“Well, well. It appears that Her Highness has grown into a wonderful young lady since I last saw her,” Father’s assistant said. “But I would expect nothing less now that she’s gained her precognition at such a young age. When I first heard your powers had awakened, I wasn’t sure what to expect.”
“Is that supposed to be praise, Prime Minister Gilbert?” Father said, a warning in his voice. I wasn’t particularly put off, however. After all, Pride grew up to become a heinous, evil queen in ORL.
Father’s assistant, Prime Minister Gilbert, just shrugged.
“My apologies,” he said, bowing his head. “That was an inappropriate comment for the prime minister to make. What a shame that Her Majesty could not be here to see you today. It’s quite a big day for her dearest daughter, the crown princess. Well, we all know how busy she’s been since the international discussions were decided over a month ago. Not to mention Tiara’s—”
Father smacked him on the head before he could continue.
Yes. Now I remembered Gilbert, Father’s assistant. That speech of his jogged my memory and not in the best way. I was still musing it all over when Father called for Lotte, Mary, and the other maids, as well as Jack and the rest of the guards so we could return to the castle residence. The whole way back, I held my new brother’s hand, the hand of the heroine’s brother as well.